The Avatar and the Dual Bender: Book 3
by SanityIsOverratedXD
Summary: Kimi has been captured by Azula. She is alone. Her friends must help Aang on his journey to defeat the Fire Lord and Zuko had tossed her aside as a traitor. What will happen to her?
1. The Awakening

**Author's Note:** I'm baaaaaaaack! Yay! It's the first chapter of Avatar and the Dual Bender: Book 3! Woohoo! I never thought I'd actually get this far...anyways, review!

**The Awakening**

Kimi's POV

I coughed as I pushed myself up. I looked around the cell wearily. Three days on this ship with very small portions and little water. I was shackled at all times and punished if I tried to bend. I coughed again and shivered as a cold breeze wafted through the ship.

"Iroh" I called weakly.

"Here" I turned to the cell next to mine and crawled over. I looked through the bars at him.

"Iroh, I'm scared" I whispered. Iroh's face appeared next to the bars. His hair was loose and scraggly and he looked paler than usual. He patted my hand.

"Do not worry" he murmured. I choked down a sob.

"How could he do this to us?" I asked.

"Hey, you in there! Quiet!" I looked over at the guard and shrank back against the wall. He glared at me for several moments before leaving. I wrapped my arms around my legs as I heard footsteps coming toward me and Iroh. Moonlight shone through the window and lit up the figure's features. I looked down and placed a hand on the necklace tucked under my torn prisoner's shirt. The pearls were still smooth and cool to the touch.

"Kimi?" I continued to look at the ground. "Why? Why did you do it? You could've come with me" I looked up now, anger burning in my gaze. He flinched away from me as I put every angry thought, every bit of sorrow and betrayal into my gaze. "Father would've accepted you if you had joined us" I narrowed my eyes and he looked away. "He wouldn't have done anything. He would've praised you" I scoffed and turned away from him. "Fine! Go against me! I thought you were my friend, but I guess I was wrong. You're nothing but a traitor!" I winced and a single tear slipped down my cheek. He turned on his heel and left. I let the rest of the tears flow. I gasped for breath as sobs racked my body. My heart ached and I pressed a hand to my chest. Will the heartbreak ever end?

* * *

I winced as a particularly powerful wave hit the side of the boat sending me crashing into the door of my cell.

"Kimiko!" Iroh exclaimed.

"I'm fine" I called to him. I pushed myself up and yelped as pain shot through my arm. "Okay, maybe not so fine" Another wave crashed against the ship and I thrown into the bars that seperated me and Iroh. Iroh was holding onto the bars as the waves crashed against the ship. I heard lightning crack outside and I shuddered.

_Iroh and I were running through the tunnel. We stopped as we came out on a cliff. I looked out and saw Aang rising in the air, his tattoos glowing. My eyes widened. He had gone into the Avatar State. I grinned. Suddenly, the familiar crackle of lightning caught my attention and a blue bolt hit Aang in his back._

_"No!" I screamed as he fell._

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I gripped one of the bars tightly with my good hand as the storm continued. I could hear faint shouts between claps of thunder. The storm continued and I found myself wishing to back on Appa's back again. Suddenly, out of nowhere the storm stopped. I hesitantly stood and walked over to the door to my cell. I looked out the small window. I huffed and sat down, cradling my injured arm in my lap.

* * *

It's been a week since Aang died. A week since Zuko betrayed me and Iroh. I felt weak. The guards had barely fed us during the week. I looked down at myself and bit my lip. I had lost weight. I lifted my shirt and scowled. I could see at least three ribs. I dropped and looked at my arm. I had had to set my broken arm and use the wooden spoons from mine and Iroh's dinners as splints. I had torn off several strips of fabric from my prisoner's pants and shirt and wrapepd them firmly around my arm. Then I used a long strip as a sling. Footsteps sounded outside my cell and I looked up as the door opened.

"We're here" the guard said. I swallowed and stood as he took me by my good arm and led me up onto the main deck. I closed my eyes tightly as the sunlight burned my eyes. I blinked several times before I got used to it. I looked around. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were in front of me. Zuko stood behind his sister, looking out to the port. Iroh was forced to stand next to me.

"What happened to her arm?" Azula demanded.

"I don't know" the guard holding me said. "It was like that when I went down to get her" Azula slowly walked up to me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look in her eyes. Her sharp nails dug in my skin as she spoke.

"What happened?" she asked. I glared at her and spat in her face. She shrieked and slapped me. Her nails cut my cheek and I cried out as I fell to the deck. Azula's hand wrapped around my neck and she lifted me up. "I won't ask again. What happened to your arm?"

"The storm" I gasped. She released me. "I hit the door and my arm broke" She smirked.

"See, now was that so hard" I continued to glare at her. I could feel blood dripping from the cuts. A drop slid into my eye and I wiped it away. Azula's smirk grew and she turned on her heel. "Watch them closely" she ordered. Another guard came up to my other side and I felt the presence of another behind me.

* * *

Zuko's POV

"What happened to her arm?" I heard Azula ask.

"I don't know" one of the guards responded. I turned. Kimi's arm was wrapped up tightly and in a sling. She looked thinner and her usually tan skin was paler and tinged a sickly grey. I frowned. "It was like that when I went down to get her" the guard continued. Azula walked up to Kimi and grabbed her chin.

"What happened?" she asked. Kimi glared at her and then spat in her face. I held back a chuckle and swallowed. Azula shreiked indignantly and slapped Kimi. I moved to go to her, but then I remembered. She was traitor, she never cared about me. Kimi's cheek now had three cuts on it. One started at the corner of her eye and trailed down to the corner of her mouth and the second and third went from her cheekbone to her chin. Blood dripped from the cuts as Azula grabbed Kimi's neck and lifted her up. "I won't ask again. What happened to your arm?" Azula growled.

"The storm" Kimi gasped. Azula released her and one of the guards held her up by her good arm. "I hit the door and my arm broke" I winced inwardly. She was here because of me. All of this was happening because of me.

"See now was that so hard" Azula said. Kimi continued to glare at her. Azula turned and looked at me for a moment. "Watch them closely" she ordered. More guards stepped up to Kimi and Uncle. Uncle looked paler than usual as well and his hair was scraggly. I met Kimi's gaze for a moment and the accusations returned. I flinched and looked away.

* * *

I sighed as I sat at the edge of the turtle duck pond. I tore the bun in my hand in half and threw it into the pond. The mother turtle duck and her ducklings swam up to the bread. A shadow crossed over the pond and the turle ducks swam away quickly, quacking in fright.

"You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately" I rolled my eyes. She had been trying to set me up with Mai since I first saw her on the ship. I paused before answering.

"I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished" Of course, that wasn't all that was bothering me, but Azula didn't need to know that.

"So what?"

"So, I didn't capture the Avatar"

"Who cares? The Avatar's dead. Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived"

_Katara held up the triangle shaped pendant._

_"This is water from the Spirit Oasis, at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important"_

"No. There's no way he could've survived" I lied.

"Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about" Azula left and I was alone again. I looked down at the pond.

_"Kimi?" I called. Kimi yelped and jerked away from Shu. She turned and saw me standing there with Jin. I was angry. "What are you doing?"_

_"What does it look like?" she asked coldly. I flinched at her tone._

_"Why are you with him?" I demanded. Well that was stupid. I knew he asked her out, but still._

_"Because he asked me out and I said yes. Now why don't you go back to your date" she said, turning back to Shu. He raised an eyebrow and then looked up at the sky._

_"You know, I should be getting home or Aunt Aiko will get worried" Kimi frowned._

_"Okay" she said quietly. He chuckled._

_"I'll see you later" he said, lifting her hand to his lips. I scowled as that strange feeling grew heavier in the pit of my stomach. "Goodbye" Kmi watched him go before turning back to me and Jin._

_"Um, Lee, I have to go too" Jin said before hurrying off. "I'll see you soon"_

_"Why?" Kimi demanded in a low voice._

_"Why what?" I responded._

_"I was having a good time until you came along" she snapped. I scowled again. "Why didn't you just mind your business and continue your date?"_

_"Because I didn't want you to be near that guy" I growled._

_"And who are you to say who I can be friends with?" I yelled. "You don't control me!" I lowered my voice. "I'm not your prisoner"_

_"I never said-"_

_"No! That's just it! You never said anything! You captured me for your damned honor, but there's nothing honorable about you want! You want the Fire Nation to win!" Her voice was steadily rising. "You never said anything to about that! You're too blind to see what's right in front! You have everything you need right here! You don't your father to feel good about yourself! You don't need to take away the world's last hope to please your father! It's selfish and wrong!" I was silent as she yelled at me. I dind't want to believe, but some part of me did. She lowered her voice. "And you can't even see that the people who care about you are already with you. Your uncle stuck with you through thick and thin. He's the one who cares for you" I finally met her gaze, my frame trembling as I stepped toward her. She stepped back, but I was fast. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close as my lips crashed into hers. A shock ran through me and Kimi gasped. I pulled away a moment later and held back a shiver. It was like she had stolen my warmth when I kissed her. Then I turned on my heel and left._

and I had told her it meant nothing. The look on her face had almost made me tell her the truth. Had she felt the same about me?

_"Katara, go!" Kimi cried as Uncle punched left and right, shooting fire at us. Katara nodded and escaped with her waterbending. Kimi spun around and launched herself at me. "You bastard!" I yelled. My eyes widened and I ducked. She flew over my head and landed lightly on her toes, sliding across the ground. She launched several fireballs at me. "I loved you! You heartless, evil, jerk!"_

She said that she loved me. The look she gave me afterwards was one of complete and utter sorrow. I looked at my reflection in the pond before standing. Father was going to deliver Kimi and Uncle's sentences soon.

* * *

I stood in front of the archway covered by a red curtain with a gold symbol of the Fire Nation on it. I took a deep breath, braced myself and walked forward, parting the curtain. The throne room was filled with dark, ornate pillars. Father sat on his throne up on the dais, separated from the rest of the throne room by a trench of fire. I walked up and fell to my knees, bowing to Father.

"You have been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you. You have redeemed yourself my son" he said. The fire parted and he walked toward me. I looked up at the face I hadn't seen for three years. "Welcome home" Father walked around me. "I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because, when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing, and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar" I raised my eyebrow. What?

"What did you hear?" I asked.

"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth" Of course she said that. Father looked past me and I craned my head around to look. It was a Fire Sage.

"They are ready" he said. I swallowed. Father nodded.

"Bring them in" He turned to go back to his throne and then looked over his shoulder. "And fetch my daughter"

* * *

I took a deep breath as I stood beside Father's throne with Azula. Her eyes lit up as Kimi and Uncle were led in. They were both shackled and being pushed forward by two guards.

"Brother!" Father boomed. "How does it feel to be back in the Fire Nation?" he asked mockingly.

"It's feels good to be home" Uncle responded calmly. "I missed the palace" Father scowled. I kept my eyes locked on Kimi.

"The dual bender" Father said. Kimi kept her gaze on the floor. "Look at me" She refused. Father motioned to one of the guards. Her grabbed her hair and jerked her head up. Now her gaze was on the ceiling. The flames in front of us rose. "I am your Fire Lord! You will do as I say! Now look at me!"

"No" I gasped at her response.

"What did you just say?" Father demanded in a low voice.

"I said no. You don't order me around" Father motioned to the guard again and he walked forward with Kimi. The flames parted and Azula walked over. She took over for the guard and forced Kimi to kneel before Father. Azula reached around and forced Kimi's head up. She kept her gaze down.

"You are defiant" Father whispered. "But I will break you. You are Fire Nation and you will do as I say"

"Fire Nation blood may run through my veins, but I do not ally myself with the nation"

"So you are a traitor" Father declared.

"No" Kimi snapped. "I am Water Tribe and you will not break me" She finally met Father's eyes, her gaze burning with hatred.

"You're father was a traitor and you are just like him" Father sneered.

"Better him than you" Kimi retorted. Father expression twisted and his hand cracked against Kimi's cheek. She slumped against Azula who pushed her away in disgust. I slowly moved closer. Father looked over at me and smirked.

"Prince Zuko, come here" I came evern closer until I was standing right next to him. "What do you believe her punishment should be for betraying her nation and disobeying her Fire Lord?" I hesitated. He and Azula were looking at me expectantly. Kimi was slumped over on the ground, breathing heavily. I licked my lips.

"I have been gone from the Fire Nation for a long time my lord. I do not believe I am fit to decide a sutiable punishment" Kimi lifted her head and looked at me. Pain filled her eyes and I looked at my father. The look on his face was calculating. He brought his gaze back to Kimi.

"She is beautiful. She would do well as a concubine, don't you think Prince Zuko?" I swallowed, keeping my face expressionless.

"I do not know" I said. Father frowned.

"Hmm, well you travelled with her. You know what she is like" Of course I know what she's like.

"Father" Azula started. "I don't think she deserves to stay her at the palace" Father inclined his head toward her. "She attacked both myself and Zuko after the Avatar was killed" I notcied that she didn't say who killed him. She probably knew Kimi would tell the truth. "Perhaps the Boiling Rock" Father smirked.

"That sounds like an excellent idea" I heard Uncle gasp and I brought my gaze to him. His eyes were wide with fear. I looked down. The Boiling Rock was the most secure prison in the Fire Nation. It sat in the middle of a boiling lake and the only way in was to fly to the gondola station and take the gondola across to the prison. It was inescapeable. The most dangerous prisoners in the Fire Nation went there. "The dual bender shall be sent to the Boiling Rock. Prepare an airship. Princess Azula will personally escort the dual bender there" He then ordered Uncle to be sent to a prison compound near the edge of Capital City. "Take them back to their cells. Princess Azula, you will leave tomorrow with the dual bender" He turned to the Fire Sage. "Inform General Shinu that he will be escorting my brother"

* * *

"Why'd you do it?" I asked as soon as I stepped into Azula's room.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific" she said without sitting up.

"Why did you tell Father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?" I demanded.

"Can't this wait until morning?"

"It can't" I said sternly. Azula sighed and sat up.

"Fine. You seemed so worried about how father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured, if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about" I frowned.

"But why?" She rolled her eyes and slid off her bed.

"Call it a generous gesture. I wanted to thank you for your help, and I was happy to share the glory" I wanted to roll my eyes. Azula had never wanted to share the glory before, so why start now.

"You're lying" I said, my eyes narrowed. She walked past me.

"If you say so"

"You have another motive for doing this. I just haven't figure out what it is"

"Please, Zuko. What ulterior motive could I have? What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar? Unless somehow, the Avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness. But you said yourself that was impossible. Sleep well, Zuzu" She laid her head back down on her pillow and I left, walking toward my room. Of course. I wanted to hit myself. She set it up so that if the Avatar was alive than the blame would fall on me. I scowled and entered my room. I sighed as I sat on my bed. I cradled my head in my hands. Everything felt so strange. What was wrong with me?

* * *

Kimi's POV

I looked up at the ceiling of my cell. At least I was provided a place to sleep. A stone bed craved out of the wall. Tomorrow I was going to the most feared prison in the Fire Nation. Would I ever see Katara again? Sokka? Aang? Toph? I winced as a pang shot through my heart and Kana's face went through my mind. I missed my faithful polar bear dog. I continued to bore a hole in the ceiling with my staring. No one was coming to get me because they didn't know where I was. Zuko betrayed me and broke my heart. Iroh was going to be sent to a different prison. I had no one anymore. I was alone.


	2. The Headband

**The Headband**

Kimi's POV

"Get up. It's time to go" I lifted my head up and looked at the three guards at the door to my cell. I saw Iroh being taken out of his cell. I reached my hand toward him.

"Iroh" I croaked. He looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. Azula was waiting for us down the hall.

"Any last wishes?" she asked mockingly.

"Can we say goodbye?" I asked quietly. She looked between us and rolled her eyes. "I am feeling merciful today so you may" She motioned to the guards and they all backed up. I embraced Iroh as best I could. "I'm sorry" I whispered.

"Do not lose hope" he murmured. He held me at arms length. "Do not let them break you. Stay strong"

"Times up" Azula sang. The guards came back over and pulled us away from each other. My guards led me outside to the ariship docks. I hissed in pain as I was shoved into one of the airships. Azula smirked from where she stood.

"Let's go. I want to be back by sundown" she said to the captain. He nodded and the crew started up the ship. The guard next to me kept a tight grip on my elbow as we flew through the air. Azula walked over to me. "You think you're s great, don't you?" she asked me quietly. "But you're not. You might want to let go of whatever feelings you may have had for my brother because he never returned them" She straightened up. "As a matter of fact. He's been showing some interest in Mai" I keep my face expressionless as my emotions went into overdrive. Azula always lies. Zuko said...I nearly slapped myself. Why should I listen to Zuko? He betrayed me and left me to die. Azula raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

It only took an hour or two, but we were there. I could feel the heat from the water inside. Two of the guards of the prison were waiting at the gondola station. They immediately dropped to their knees in a bow.

"Up. I want her in there as quickly as possible" Azula ordered. The guards nodded and opened the door. "My job here is done. She is your responsibility now" Azula turned on her heel and left with her guards. The female guard glared at me through the eye slits in her helmet.

"Get in" she demanded. I swallowed and the male guard grabbed my arm and pulled me in. The female guard started the gondola and then quickly stepped in. The gondola shuddered for a moment before moving down the line. I could see a line of guards waiting at the bottom. I took a deep breath as the gondola stopped. The male guard shoved me hard and I stumbled out.

"The dual bender" I looked up at the man in front of me. He had brown hair pulled back in a traditional Fire Nation style. He also wore a fancy headband instead of a helmet like the guards. Probably to show his rank. I scoffed as if they don't already know who he is. "Welcome to the Boiling Rock. I'm sure you've all heard the horrible rumors about our little island. Well I just want to tell you that they don't have to be true. As long as you do everything I say" I scowled, but met his harsh gaze. He smirked. "Good. Take her to her cell" The two guards grabbed my arms and I winced as the male one grabbed my broken arm. He chuckled and continued to push me along. They led me through the prison and up two flights of steps. The female opened the door to the cell in front of me and the male shoved me in.

"Have fun" he sneered. I glared at them as the door closed and then sat on the bed. Now what? I looked around and realized just how tired I was. I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes, slipping into a fitful sleep.

* * *

A clanking woke me up and I pushed myself up with my good arm. My door slid open and I hesitantly walked toward it.

"What's going on?" I asked a prisoner as he passed. He was bald wit a scar over one of his eyes. He squinted at me for a moment.

"You're new, huh?" I nodded slowly and he shrugged. "Breakfast then we get to go out into the yard"

"Thank you" I said quietly. He chuckled.

"What did you do to get in here?" he asked. I met his eyes and he looked surprised at my eyes.

"I'm the dual bender"

"Ah" he said quietly. He continued walking and I decided to follow the flow of prisoners. Everyone lined up at what I assumed was the cafeteria and waited. The line moved fast and soon I was grabbing a tray and being served a bowl of mush and a tin cup of water. I smiled lightly. Idiots. I wouldn't try anything yet. Not until I know the place better, but just the fact that I was served water means I have a chance. I sat at an empty table in the back and began to eat.

"Hey this is my table" I looked in surprise when I heard the feminine voice. The girl was about my age with short reddish brown hair and blue eyes. She looked familiar and I frowned for a moment as I tried to remember. I gasped at the same time she did.

"Suki?"

"Kimiko?" I stood quickly and embraced the Kyoshi Warrior.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as we sat down.

"The other warriors and I were captured by Princess Azula and two of her friends when we were helping Appa. They threw me in here because I was the leader. What about you?"

"We got seperated awhile back. We ran into Zuko and his Uncle, Iroh. Azula appeared and we all teamed up against her. She shot lightning at Iroh and then she got away. I told the others to go on and I healed him, but he needed more than one session so I travelled with them" Suki's eyes widened. "I know. Anyway we went to Ba Sing Se and we were living pretty well until Azula showed up again and captured me, Katara, and Zuko and threw us in the Crystal Catacombs. Iroh and Aang came and rescued us. Aang and Katara went down a tunnel to try to escape and left me with Zuko and Iroh. Azula appeared and she told Zuko she needed him for her plan to succeed and that he would be welcomed back to the Fire Nation" I looked down at my feet. Iroh and I followed them and came out on a cliff just as Aang went into the Avatar. I was so proud for that one moment, but then Azula shot him in the back with lightning. I stayed behind to help Iroh and got caught" I met her deep blue eyes and felt a tear drip down my cheek. "Suki, he's dead" She swallowed.

"Kimi, you can't lose hope. He may be alive" she said soothingly. I bit my lip and rubbed one of the pearls on my necklace through the shirt. I suddenly remembered something. I reached back to my braid and pulled at the end. Something small fell out and I caught it swiftly. I made sure none of the guards were looking as I showed Suki. I opened my hand to show her the triangular shaped pendant.

"It's water from the Spirit Oasis. I can't believe I forgot about it" Suki raised an eyebrow. "Katara has another one like this"

"So she used it on Aang" Suki said.

"Hopefully" I mumbled. I put the necklace on and tucked the pendant under my shirt. I quickly rebraided my hair before twisting it into a bun.

"Prisoners. Out to the yard!" I huffed and stood, following the flow of prisoners with Suki.

* * *

Zuko's POV

The guard leveled his spear at me as I walked toward him.

"You again? Stop where you are" I lifted my head and the guard lowered his spear. "Prince Zuko?!" I rushed forward and grabbed him by his collar, slamming him against the wall.

"I'm going in for a visit. You're gonna stand guard here, and no one is going to know about this" I said lowly before releasing him and continuing on. I opened the door to the cell and walked over to the bars. Uncle was unkempt and dressed in rags, sitting crosslegged on a mat, facing the wall.

"Uncle. It's me" I said. Uncle turned away to face the back of his cell. "You brought this on yourself, you know. We could have returned together, you, me, and Kimi. You could have been a hero! You have no right to judge me Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se, and you and Kimi are fools for not joining me" Uncle was silent. "You're not gonna say anything? You're a crazy old man! You're crazy, and if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter!" I slammed the door as I left and hurried down the hall.

* * *

"Orange is such an awful color" Mai said as she leaned on my shoulder. I snickered. Mai raised an eyebrow as she looked up at me. She leaned up and her lips brushed mine.

"Ahem!" I moved away from Mai to glare at Azula.

"Zuko, could I have a word with you?"

"Can't you see we're busy?" Mai retorted. She started to kiss me again and I hesitantly responded.

"Oh, Mai...Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid" Mai rolled her eyes before looking up at Azula.

"Sounds pretty serious" She stood and left.

"So...I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower" I pushed myself up.

"That guard told you"

"No, you did. Just now" I scowled inwardly before sitting back down.

"Okay, you caught me. What is it that you want, Azula?"

"Actually, nothing. Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be careful, dum-dum" I looked up at her suspiciously before she turned and left. I stared out at the sunset. Kimi loved sunset. I remembered when she would climb up a tree or stand by the window just to watch the sun as it set making the sky purple and pink and orange. I buried my head in my hands.

"She's a traitor you idiot" I mutterd to mysef. "She doesnt matter anymore." Yet, deep down I knew it wasn't true.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I looked up at the sky. It was beautiful as splashes of purple and streaks of orange and pink took over the sky blue.

"Prisoners! Back to your cells!" I hugged Suki quickly before we were separated to go to our cells. I sighed as I sat on the bedroll and pulled my knees up to my chest. The sunset had reminded of my time with Zuko and Iroh. I had climbed trees just to look at the sun as it set beneath the horizon. When we were in Ba Sing Se, I had climbed out the window and onto the roof. Zuko had joined me once.

_"Why do you always watch the sunset?" he asked as he climbed onto the roof._

_"It's beautiful" I whispered. "It proves that if you wait somethign ordinary can become extraordinary" Zuko looked up at the sky and then at me. I smiled and laid back, crossing my arms behind my head. "Wait and watch" He laid back with me and we watched the sky as it faded to black. Then pinpoints of light began to appear and I sighed happily. "Back in the South Pole, I used to do this all the time with Katara, Sokka, Mom, and Dad. We would lay outside our hut on blankets and point out different constellations" I pointed above us. "Dragon is my favorite" I looked around the night sky searching for another. "And there's the Archer. He always points to the North Star" I blinked back tears. "Archer was Mom's favorite" Zuko smiled lightly. "That was my mom's favorite too" We continued to point out different constellations before Iroh called us in to eat before our dinner got cold._

I laid back on the bedroll and clsoed my eyes.

* * *

Zuko's POV

"I brought you some komodo-chicken. I know you don't care for it, but I figure it beats prison food" I said as I slid the package through the bars. Uncle was silent, with his back facing me. I admit it. I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be. The truth is, I need your advice" I clenched the bars. "I think the Avatar is still alive. I know he's out there. I'm losing my mind. Please, Uncle, I'm so confused! I need your help" Uncle didn't move. "Forget it! I'll solve this myself! Waste away in here for all I care!" I walked to the door and opened it before turnign back for a moment. THen I slammed the door and left.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wow so it's been like a week since I last updated. The next few chapters are going to be a little tricky because prison is going to get pretty for Kimi real fast so I'm going to start putting the Gaang in and showing how life is without Kimi. Also, school is starting for me this week and I'm going into my senior year so updates might be less frequent. It really all depends on my workload. I will try to work on this during my freetime, but no gurantees. Weekends will defintely be a time to work on it. I'm also going to try and work more on Prisoner of Azkaban as well, so if you're interested in my Harry Potter fics, there ya go. Anyways, update! I'm always open to constructive criticism and ideas from my readers. :)


	3. The Painted Lady

**Author's Note**: Wow, I am so sorry this took so long to get done. I've had some writer's block in what to do for Kimi, but I hope you liked that little scene with her and Zuko. Anyways, I am trying to go as fast as I can, but senior year is tough :( ...So please review with your thoughts and/or ideas for other chapters, it would be helpful :) Thank you to those of you who were patient enough for this and I'm going to try to be faster with my next update.

**Author's Note #2:** Oh and so if you remember, Jet is alive and he escaped with the Gaang along with Smellerbee and Longshot, however I decided he would stay behind with the invasion force. So if anyone was wondering where those three were there ya go.

* * *

**The Painted Lady**

Katara's POV

I sighed as I looked out over Appa's saddle. I missed Kimi. I missed her laughter and her smile that never disappeared. She could make anyone smile no matter what. I missed her messing around with Sokka. Speaking of which...Sokka tapped my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I miss Kimi" I murmured. Toph cleared her throat.

"You know, you never told us exactly what happened to her..." she trailed off and I looked down at my lap.

"Yeah, you only told us that she stayed behind" Aang said from his spot on Appa's head. I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat.

"She and Iroh were surrounded as I escaped. I think they were captured" Sokka bit his lip.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" he demanded. "She was probably taken to the Fire Lord and who knows what he did to her! We could've rescued her!"

"Um, guys" We turned to Aang. "This is going to sound weird, but I've been getting flashes of visions about Kimi"

"What?!" I yelled.

"She's at a prison somewhere. I could tell by her clothes, but that's it"

"You mean she's alive?" I asked. "Oh thank the spirits" I moaned as I leaned back. Sokka patted my arm.

"When this is over, we will find her" he said. I nodded, swallowing hard.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I scowled as a bowl of mush was dropped onto my tray. I snatched the tin cup of water and walked over to Suki. I huffed as I sat down.

"I'm going to go insane" I muttered. Suki chuckled.

"You and me both"

"It's the same thing everyday. I need some excitement or I'm gonna snap" I said as I ate my mush. I made a face before swallowing. I finished the mush quickly and then washed the taste away with my water.

"Prisoners, to the yard!" I rolled my eyes.

"This is what I mean" I said as Suki and I walked with the rest of the prisoners. "We're let out of our cells for breakfast, sent out to the yard or to clean, brought back in for lunch, let out into the yard or sent to clean, brought back in for dinner, and then sent to our cells"

"At least we get three meals a day" Suki pointed out. "Better than some prisons I've heard of"

"I think there was a hair in my mush last week" I mumbled. "But you're right about meals, although I don't think I would call those meals" Suki nodded in understanding as we sat down. "I know we're going to be here for awhile, but I need something to break this monotone before I go insane"

"I think we're about to get some entertainment" She lifted her arm to point at something behind me. I turned as a large man with a skull tattoo on his bicep and a squashed nose bumped into a tall, skinny man with dreadlocks and pierced ears.

"Hey! Watch it!" the skinny man growled.

"Or what?" the tattooed man taunted. I dubbed the skinny one Dreadlocks and the tattooed one Skull. Dreadlocks narrowed his eyes at Skull and then pushed his hands toward Skull. Skull's eyes widened as a wave of fire lashed out at him. He raised his hands, cutting through the wave with a slash of his own flame. I raised an eyebrow and moved, pulling Suki with me as the falme flew past us and hit the wall. Several guards pushed their way through the crowd and brough the two prisoners down.

"No firebending allowed! To the coolers!"

"The coolers?" I asked, looking at Suki.

"It's where they send the rule breakers to 'cool off'" she said. "It's so cold, there's ice forming in it"

"How the spirits do they manage that here?" I asked as I rubbed the back of my neck and then wiped the sweat on my pants.

* * *

Sokka's POV

"I don't feel anything. Where is this village?" Toph asked.

"It's in the middle of the river!" I exclaimed.

"Sure is!" We looked down as a dark skinned man with tufts of white hair grinned at us from his boat. "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are"

"We're, um, from the Earth Kingdom colonies" Katara lied.

"Wow...colonials! Hop on; I'll give you a ride into town" We hopped in and Dock rowed us toward the village.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked.

"Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in" He gestured to the cliffs and I could see a factory through a gap. "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive" I grimaced as I looked at the black sludge.

"Thanks for the ride!" Aang said, waving to Dock as we left him. I looked around wearily. The village was sad looking and I saw a few people moving about. They were pale and sickly and a few were coughing loudly.

"Look at this place. It's so sad. We have to do something to help" Katara said. I wanted to agree, but we couldn't do anything right now. We had to stay focused on the bigger picture.

"No, we can't waste our time here! We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own!" I snapped.

"These people are starving, but you turn your back on them! How can you be so cold and heartless?" Katara demanded. I winced and then turned to her.

"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic! We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!" I yelled. Toph slapped her hand over my mouth.

"Hey, loudmouth! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about taking out the Fire Lord" she said. She moved her hand away and I looked Katara in the eye.

"Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first" I said quietly. And then Kimi, I added silently. After that we can help the rest of the world.

"I guess so" Katara muttered.

"Let's just get what we need and go" Aang said. We approached the counter of a stall. I was surprised to see Dock behind the counter, just wearing a different hat.

"Hey, Dock. You work here too?" I asked.

"I'm not Dock, I'm Xu. Dock's my brother" We gaped at him. What the spirits?

"But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat" Aang said.

"Dock works on the docks, that's why they call him 'Dock', and I work in the shop, that's why they call me 'Xu'" Dock/Xu said.

"I don't get it" Aang mumbled. I suddenly pictured Kimi making the crazy sign and pointing at Dock/Xu. I would have laughed and Dock/Xu would have asked why and then Kimi would told him I was an idiot and then slapped my head.

"Me neither" D-Xu pulled out a crate filled with rancid grey seafood. "What can I getcha? Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy three fish, I'll throw in a clam for free" I wrinkled my nose as the smell hit me. I steeled myself and moved forward.

"We'll just take the fish. Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore" I said. Xu ducked beneath the counter; when he reappeared, he was wearing his first hat.

"Hey, colonials. My brother says you need a lift" I watched sadly as a small boy ran up to Katara.

"Can you spare some food?" he asked. She handed him a fish.

"I wish I could spare more" she said quietly. The boy ran away and I watched as he handed the fish to a sick woman. Most likely his mother.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I hesitantly poked at my dinner mush as Suki came over and sat next to me.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I frowned down at my mush.

"I miss Sokka and Katara and Aang" I murmured. "And even Toph though I didn't know her that long" Suki rubbed my arm soothingly.

"I miss them too" she whispered. I smirked and looked up at her.

"Especially Sokka" I grinned. She blushed furiously and began to eat.

* * *

Katara's POV

"Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track" Sokka said once we were back at our camp.

"Finagle away, O schedule master" Toph said sarcastically.

"Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day" he said. I gaped at him.

"Forty-three minutes?" I asked.

"Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse - which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes. And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!" Sokka snapped.

"Well, I'm not waking up early" Toph muttered.

"Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks" he said.

"What?" Aang gasped.

"No way" I said.

"Forget it" Toph added.

"I got it, how's this...From now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the same time"

"Eww" Aang, Toph, and I groaned.

"Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning" I looked out to the village sadly.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I shifted on my pallet and poked at the lumpy bedroll. I sighed and closed my eyes.

_I looked around at the dark landscape. Where was I?_

_"And who are you to say who I can be friends with?" I turned to see myself and Zuko standing by the fountain in Ba Sing Se. "You don't control me!" I lowered my voice. "I'm not your prisoner"_

_"I never said-"_

_"No! That's just it! You never said anything! You captured me for your damned honor, but there's nothing honorable about you want! You want the Fire Nation to win!" My dream-self's voice was steadily rising. "You never said anything to about that! You're too blind to see what's right in front! You have everything you need right here! You don't your father to feel good about yourself! You don't need to take away the world's last hope to please your father! It's selfish and wrong!" Zuko was silent as Imy dream-self yelled at him. I bit my lip as tears rolled down my cheeks. "And you can't even see that the people who care about you are already with you. Your uncle stuck with you through thick and thin. He's the one who cares for you" Zuko met my gaze, his frame trembling as he stepped toward me. I watched as I stepped back, but he moved fast. His arms came around me and his lips crashed into mine. I gasped as I felt the shock run through me now just as it had then. He pulled back a moment later and I felt a sudden chill descend over me as if he had taken all the warmth from my body. Then he turned on his heel and left. I stood there watching my dream-self as the rain started. I closed my eyes not wanting to see anymore. I opened them a moment later. Everything turned black and I gasped. Suddenly, I found myself back at the apartment in Ba Sing Se._

_"Hey" my dream-self said quietly. Zuko grunted without looking up. "Um, can we talk about what happened the other night?" He bit his lip._

_"I thought we did. We both apologized-"_

_"That's not what I meant" my dream-self said, cutting him off. "I meant can we about when you kissed me"_

_"It was nothing" Zuko grunted. I swallowed as a strange, cold twisting sensation settled in my gut just like it had then. He stood and my dream-self reached out to grab his wrist._

_"It really meant nothing to you?" my dream-self asked. He met her eyes for a moment before jerking his wrist out of her grip._

_"Yes" he said tersely. My dream-self disappeared and Zuko turned to face._

_"Did you really think it would mean anything to me?" he taunted._

_"Zuko-" I started. He cut me off with a cruel laugh._

_"You're worthless. You never meant anything to me" he smirked. I tried to move towards him, but found I couldn't move. Zuko's smirk grew. He gestured behind himself. "You were stupid to love me" The Crystal Catabombs appeared before me._

_"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar!" Zuko's past self demanded. The other Zuko stood beside me, smirking as I watched the scene unfold._

_"Saving you, that's what" Aang told him. Zuko snarled and tried to lunge at him, but Iroh and I stopped him. Something clinked against the ground. I watched myself bend down to pick it up and gape at the necklace._

_"Zuko, it's time we talked" Iroh said as I gazed at the necklace. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you" Aang and Katara left and I slowly raised my head to look at Zuko. He was looking at Iroh._

_"Why Uncle?" he asked, hurt entering his voice._

_"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" I moved to step closer, but a rumbling stopped me. A trail of crystals shot out of the ground, trapping me and Iroh. Zuko spun around, readying himself for an attack. Azula and two Dai Li agents slid down from the tunnel. Azula advanced._

_"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle and the dual bender, but Zuko, Prince Zuko...you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"_

_"Release them immediately!"_

_"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself" Azula said._

_"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you" Iroh told him._

_"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle? I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want"_

_"Zuko..." my past self started, my voice soft._

_"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want" Iroh said._

_"You are free to choose" Azula waved a hand at the Dai Li agents and they left. Azula turned and left._

_"Zuko, please" I begged. He looked at me and then looked down. My hand holding the necklace was sticking out of the crystal cage. He gently took the necklace from me and held it up._

_"I bought back this and the rug you sold to the pirates. It's in my bag at the apartment" I looked away from the scene as tears streamed down my face. It hurt more to see and hear it again. Zuko grabbed my chin and forced me to watch as his past-self shed his outer robes and followed his sister._

_"Zuko!" my past-self cried._

_"Kimi. He made his choice. Now we must help your friends" I nodded and my inner fire spun out in a vortex of white-hot flame. The crystals exploded and I pulled the fire back in. I looked at the necklace as Iroh's prison of crystals exploded as well. He walked over to me and gently took the necklace. He unclasped it and reclasped it around my neck. I traced the pearls lightly before nodding at Iroh and running down the tunnel. Zuko and I followed. I could hear booms and shouting from up ahead. We came to a fork in the tunnel and paused._

_"Which one?" I asked nervously. Iroh moved toward one tunnel and then leaned toward the other._

_"This one" he said, pointing to the first. We ran down it and came out at a cliff. I looked out and saw Aang rising into the air, his tattoos glowing. My eyes widened. He had gone into the Avatar State. Suddenly, the familiar crackle of lightning caught my attention and a blue bolt hit Aang in his back._

_"No!" I screamed. I watched horrified as he fell. Katara appeared on a wave of water and caught him. Iroh and I leapt down, landing between her and Azula, Zuko, and the Dai Li._

_"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh yelled. Tears ran down my cheeks freely now and broken sobs echoed from me. I looked up at Zuko and he grinned cruelly. He pointed at as my past-self attacked past Zuko._

_"You bastard!" I yelled. His eyes widened and he ducked. I flew over his head and landed lightly on my toes, sliding across the ground. I launched several balls of fire at him. "I loved you! You heartless, evil, jerk!" Azula smoothly stepped between Zuko and my attack, blocking it. "You evil bitch!" I twisted my arms, sending several spikes of ice shooting at her. She melted them with a wall of blue fire. "You killled him!" She smirked at me and signaled to the Dai Li. They instantly surrounded me and I looked over at Iroh. He was trapped in a ring of crystals. He nodded at me and I glared at my attackers as I lowered my hands and I was trapped in crystals as well. Zuko stared blankly at Iroh who met his nephew's gaze for a moment before looking away. Zuko looked at me. I looked down. I swallowed the sobs as they rackedd my body. My past was torturing me. I knew deep down that I still loved him, but I couldn't help but feel hatred and sorrow at his betrayal. A strange sound echoed through my head and I knew it was from my past, but something I still felt now. It was the sound of my heart breaking. The scene disappeared and Zuko pushed me down. I looked up at him through blurred vision._

_"I never loved you" he whispered. "You're nothing" Fire appeared in his palms. "Goodbye" The fire covered me and I screamed._

* * *

Zuko's POV

I yelped as I tumbled off my bed. I groaned and rubbed my head before grabbing the sheets and pulling myself back onto my bed. I just couldn't get Kimi out of my head. Her pale, thin face seemed to be imprinted on my eyes. I rubbed my eyes angrily. She was in head, in my dreams. I just couldn't get rid of her. I scowled and leaned back onto my pillows and closed my eyes.

* * *

Sokka's POV

I yawned as I sat up. Something groaned and turned to look at Appa. He was lying on his side while Katara tried to help him.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Aang asked.

"I think Appa's sick" she said.

"What, Appa's sick? That's awful!" I exclaimed.

"Wow, Sokka, I didn't realize you cared so much" Toph said.

"Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now" The others glared at me and I blanched. "And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well"

"He must have gotten sick from being in the polluted water" Toph said.

"He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?" Appa stuck his tongue. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?" Aang asked.

"It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town"

* * *

Kimi's POV

I groaned as the clanging of my door opening woke me. I opened my eyes and found two guards standing at my door.

"You're coming with us" the one on the left said. His gold eyes glinted behind his helmet and I scowled. The one the right came in and grabbed my arm. His grey eyes hardened as he scowled at me. He hauled me up and I stumbled along after him.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

"The Warden wants to see you" the golden eyed one said.

"What for?" I asked.

"Be quiet" the grey eyed one growled. I scowled, but stayed quiet. Finally, we made to the Warden's office. The two guards led me in and shoved me into a chair. My wrists and ankles were then bound to the chair and they left. I huffed and looked around. After a few minutes, I heard the door slide open and the Warden walked into my line of sight.

"Why am I here?" I asked. His eyes narrowed and he slapped me. I winced at the force of the slap. He watched me for a moment and tears of pain slid down my cheeks.

"You have a visitor" he told me. I lifted my head and swallowed as a set of footsteps came up behind me.

"You can go now. I'll call for you when I'm done" I jerked my head up and looked over my shoulder at the sound of the familiar voice. Zuko.

* * *

Aang's POV

"Is it just me, or does this place seem different?" Toph asked.

"Yeah, are the people...happier" I observed.

"Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?" Sokka asked. I frowned and decided that I would just call the man Dock.

"Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person...the Painted Lady" I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The Painted who now?" Katara asked.

"The Painted Lady" He set a statuette of the Lady down on the counter. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now"

"See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them. All we need is medicine for our sick friend" Sokka said.

"Medicine. Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village" Dock told us. I frowned. That wasn't right. These people needed help.

"Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest" Katara said. I chuckled as Sokka huffed, frustrated.

"I guess you're right. You got any more food to sell?" Dock held out two fish and I backed away from them, revolted.

"Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?"

"Two-headed!" Sokka exclaimed, turning to look at us. I felt sick. "What you get more for your money that way"

* * *

Kimi's POV

"What are you doing here?" I snarled. "Come to taunt me? Oh wait, let me guess. You're going to get me to trust you and then you're gonna betray me again" Zuko's face twitched and he turned away from me. "You're just like you're sister, you know that? She's evil and vile and cruel and you're just like her"

"I am nothing like her" he snapped, turning to me.

"Oh yeah?" I scoffed. "Then why did you join her? Why did you leave Iroh and I and fight on her side? Why did you let her take us away?" My voice broke as a wave of emotion hit me. I felt tears brim in the corners of my eyes. "Why did you betray me?" I asked brokenly. He swallowed and his eyes met mine. "Why Zuko? Why?" I watched as he blinked and walked toward the door. I swallowed my tears. "Why are you even here?" He stopped a few feet away from the door.

"I'm here to tell you to stay out my head!" he growled, whirling around to face me. I frowned, confused. I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but he had already left, slamming the door behind him. The Warden came back in with two guards and they took me back to my cell. I hugged my bedroll to my chest and cried.

* * *

Katara's POV

I watched as the general addressed the villagers.

"I thought we could live as neighbors, in peace. But I guess I was wrong. You steal our food, our medicine...and then you destroy our factory"

"We didn't do any of that" Dock called. Then he popped up in his Xu hat. "Yeah, the Painted Lady brought us food. She's the one that healed our sick, not your medicine"

"Oh, right, the mysterious Painted Lady did it. And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too. This is a town of thieves and liars!" He bended a fireblast, destroying a house. "Where's your Painted Lady now? We're going to cure the world of this wretched village" The Fire Nation soldiers began demolishing the town. I growled low and started to move, but Aang held me back.

"Wait" he murmured. Two of them lit a large flammable ball perched on a buoy in the river, but Aang blew it out with a gust of wind.

"Light it again!" They did and Aang blew it out again. I grinned as I got in postion and Sokka started the eerie flute music.

"Look at that! Where's it coming from?" someone asked. I smirked at the fog that Aang was manipulating around me.

"I don't know. Something strange is going on" Appa began to growl.

"It's the Painted Lady. She's coming"

"There is no Painted Lady!" the general yelled.

"What's that sound?" a female solider asked. Toph was lifting and dropping a boulder to create a thudding noise.

"Maybe it is her" one the soliders mumbled. The fog parted and I slowly lifted my head. I paused for a moment before using my waterbending to push me toward the soliders. I stepped onto the dock and moved toward them.

"Do something!" the general ordered. The soliders moved toward me, but were hit by a blast of air thanks to Aang. "Stand your ground!" I quickly waterbended two jet skis into a cliff. I lifted my hand to waterbend again, but the soliders jumped into the remaining jet skis and sped away, leaving the general behind. I glared at him from under the large hat. "I'll take care of you myself" He bent an arc of fire at me and for a brief moment I was reminded of Kimi practicing her firebending before Aang used his airbending to propel me into the sky. Aang then broke the dock in half with a blast of wind, sending the general into the river. I slowly rose out of the water and lifted my arms.

"Leave this village and never come back" I ordered in a low voice. He swam away and clambered onto a lone jet ski and left. Sokka and Toph rowed over in a small boat as the villagers cheered.

"I knew you'd come"

"Thank you!"

"Painted Lady, you're the best!"

"Me and my brothers really owe you a lot" Dock said. He looked at me and his eyes widened. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not the Painted Lady, you're that colonial girl!"

"Yeah, you're the lady that gave me a fish" the little boy said. I bit my lip.

"You've been tricking us. You're a waterbender!" Dock accused. I stepped back.

"She's a waterbender! How dare you act like our Painted Lady" someone shouted. They began to move toward me, but Sokka ran in front of me.

"Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her" he said heatedly.

"Sokka, it's okay" I said quietly. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself.

"She's right, but what should we do?" Dock asked. I smiled as Toph popped out of the crowd.

"Maybe we can clean the river" she called, disguising her voice.

"Yeah, we can clean the river!" Dock cired. The villagers cheered. "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a waterbender"

"You wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, by the way, would you?" Sokka asked.

"No problem. Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Xu, on the other hand, hoo! He's a blabbermouth" I sighed.

"So, Dock, are you gonna help us clean?" I asked.

"No, ma'am. I'm going to get my other brother, Bushi. He loves cleaning rivers" Dock switched his hat right in fornt of us this time. "Alright, I'm Bushi! Let's get some river cleaning done"

"Aha, I knew it!" Aang cried. "I knew you were the same guy. You're the shop owner and the boat guy"

"Oh, you must be talking about my brothers, Dock and Xu" ...Bushi said.

"No, I just saw you! You switched hats and called yourself a different name!" Aang groaned.

"Oh, you know who does that my brother Dock" He leaned in to whisper. "He's crazy"

* * *

I walked slowly down the clean river as everyone else slept. Kimi would've loved this.

"We will find you" I whispered. I looked up as something appeared before me. I gasped.

"Thank you" the Painted Lady said. She moved back into the fog and disappeared. I smiled to myself before heading back to the campsite.


	4. The Day of Black Sun

**Author's Note**: Okay so I know this is a big skip from the Painted Lady, but honestly. I was stuck on Sokka's master. I mean everyone knows what happens with Gaang and since prison can get dull pretty quickly I didn't know what to do with Kimi. So I'm skipping to Day of Black Sun because there's a fair bit of action. And I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry that this took so long.

**The Day of Black Sun**

Kimi's POV

I looked up at the sky as we were let out into the yard. Something felt off about today. I couldn't name it, but it felt like something big was coming. I looked over at Suki as she sat down on a rock.

* * *

Sokka's POV

I looked over the maps again as we waited for the invasion force. Aang's voice interrupted my concentration and I looked up.

"Top of the morning, Momo!" Aang said happily as the lemur scurried up to his shoulder.

"Sounds like you slept well" Katara smiled.

"Like a baby mooselion. I'm ready" Aang slid into a stance. "To face the Fire Lord"

"So what's your strategy for taking him down? Going to get your glow on" Toph said as she moved her fingers in front of her eyes. "And hit him" She punched the air a couple times. "With a little Avatar State action" Aang's face fell and I watched him carefully.

"I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my 7th chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the Universe" I frowned when he finished.

"You know what I just heard Blah blah spiritual mumbo jumbo blah blah something about Space" I shook my head at Toph's antics as I stood. A bank of fog was rolling in and I grinned.

"Oh no. Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?" Katara asked.

"No, that is the invasion" I told her. Five Water Tribe ships appeared and Aang and Toph began earthbending some docks. The ships docked and KAtara and I ran toward Dad's.

"You made it Dad!" Katara cried.

"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" I asked.

"I did. But I'm a little worried, Sokka" e looked over his shoulder and I saw Due and Tho coming off the ship. "Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type" Due and Tho discussed whether a rock was a Fire Nation trap or not. I rolled my eyes. "Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf hat?"

"I just wish they would wear pants" Bato grumbled as he walked past.

"Pants are an illusion and so is death" Hue rumbled, scratching his stomach.

* * *

Sokka's POV

I watched as Katara introduced Haru to Toph and as Toph got picked up by Hippo. Suddenly, a boat exploded behind me and Dad. We looked at each other and then ran toward it. The Mechanist came up from the lower deck, coughing and racking as smoke billowed out. Teo rollled down the gangplank followed by the Mechanist and Pipsqueak and the Duke.

"Was that a new invention?" I asked as Teo licked the orange goo off his hands.

"Yes. But unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce proved to be a failure" the Mechanist said, rubbing his neck.

"You're making peanut sauce bombs?" I asked incredulously.

"They're destructive" Pipsqueak started.

"And delicious!" the Duke finished. Both of them started to lick the sauce off their faces.

"Were you able to complete work on the plans I sent you?" I asked the Mechanist.

"Yes, I was and I think the Fire Nation would be quite surprised" the Mechanist said.

"Aang" Teo interupted. He took a pole-like object from his wheelchair. "My Dad & I made this for you" Aang took the pole and two blue wings shot out from the sides.

"A new glider! This is amazing!" Aang exclaimed.

"And as a special feature, I added a snack compartment" He placed his head under the handle and pulled it. Peanuts tumbled out of the compartment into his mouth.

"Oh well, I'm sure that will come in handy" Aang said slowly.

* * *

Katara's POV

I bit my lip as Sokka stumbled onto the stage, his scrolls falling out of his arms. He quickly picked them up.

"Uhm... So, as you know today we're invading the Fire Nation. I mean I know you know that. Because otherwise why else would you be here...Anyway..." He placed the scrolls on the wooden board. "The Fire Lord's palace is here" I sighed as he got flustered and flipped through the maps until he got to the right one. "It's here and uh there's an eclipse today and Aang's going to fight the Fire Lord" He was starting to panic. "And the firebenders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us and uhm...I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning" And he actually started at the beginning, speaking very fast. "Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg. Now I didn't like Aang at first but I grew to love him over time. Then we went over to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who is a Kyoshi warrior. She made me dress like a woman and then she kissed me"

"Wow, he says beginning, he means beginning, beginning" I whispered as Dad stood up.

"...and then Aang's friend was a crazy old man and then Katara got Haru arrested and then now he's grown a mustache and if you look in the front row you can see him..."

"Thank you, Sokka" Dad interrupted. He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's okay, why don't you take a break" I swallowed and walked off stage. Dad turned to face everyone. "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun and I want to thank you all for your self sacrifice and your courage. They're two steps to the invasion. A naval stage and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get pass our first major obstacle here" He pointed to the center of the map. "The Great Gates of Azulon. Next," He flipped to another map. "We hit the land and we hit hard. We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower. Once we do that, it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin" The Boulder raised his hand.

"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse when the firebenders are powerless?

"The eclipse only last 8 minutes. Not enough time for the whole invasion and the royal palace is heavily guarded by firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar would have defeated the Fire Lord. We would have control of the Fire Nation capital and this war will be over!" Everyone cheered at Dad's final words and I felt disappointed. How come I couldn't be like him?

* * *

Kimi's POV

"Suki, does anything feel weird to you about today?" I asked. Suki looked over her shoulder as she sat down across from me. Then she turned back to me and leaned in close.

"I overheard a couple of the guards talking about an eclipse" she whispered. I gasped.

"You're joking?" She shook her head.

"It's gonna happen soon and it only lasts eight minutes, but they securing the prison just in case" I looked around. "It's a solar eclipse and that means during those eight minutes, no firebending" A plan started to form in my mind.

"But I'm not just a firebender" I said quietly. Suki's expression became shocked.

"Do you really think you can get past all the guards? What water would you use?" she asked. I grinned.

"There's water all around us" I told her quietly.

"But, it's insanely hot. This place isn't called the Boiling Rock for nothing" she hissed.

"I know, but waterbenders can change the temperature of the water they're using" Suki's eyes widened.

"Then that means..." She trailed off.

"I could escape" I finished in a low voice.

"Prisoners! To the yard!" Suki and I stood along with the other prisoners.

"They're most likely going to send us in before the eclipse starts" I whispered. "They won't want to take any chances, but I won't be able to do much from my cell. What I need is a distraction" I looked around the yard.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I carefully took the pin from my crown and removed the crown. My hair fell down and I brushed some of it out of my face. I took off my armor and sat down at my desk. I smoothed out the paper on my desk and picked up a brush. I dipped it in the ink and began to write.

* * *

Iroh's POV

I looked up as Ming entered, carrying a tray of food.

"Lunchtime, General Iroh" She set the tray down. "And this time, I brought you an extra bowl of rice" she whispered.

"Thank you, Ming. Your little gestures of kindness had made my days in prison bearable" Ming looked over her shoulder. She pulled a scroll from her belt.

"Here" She passed the scroll through to him. "My sister said that the girl is okay. She's defiant but not to the point where she has to go to the coolers" Iroh nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for going through the trouble of getting me this" he said. "It will provide a great comfort that she is unharmed" I looked at her and the lie slid out easily. "I think you should take the rest of the day off"

"What?" Ming asked, confused. (looking confused)

"You don't look well" I told her. I grabbed the bars. "Maybe you should go home and rest" Her eyebrows came together and she smiled.

"No, I feel fine" she told me.

"Trust me" I told her. "It is better that you are not here this afternoon" Ming looked concerned, but she nodded and left.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I looked up at the sky. That feeling was back. I nodded at Suki. It was happening soon. She tapped Dreadlocks shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He looked up at the sky and nodded. Suki walked over to me.

"He said he'll talk to the rest of the prisoners and they'll start when the guards call us in" I nodded.

"I just hope this works" I whispered. "What did you say to him anyway?" Suki smirked.

"I asked him if he could help liven up the place with a riot" I chuckled and she grinned.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I knelt in front of the portrait of Mom.

"I know I made some bad choices. But today, I'm going to set things right" I stood and grabbed my broadswords and my backpack. I looked back at her portrait one last time before i threw on my cloak and left.

* * *

Kimi's POV

"Prisoners! Back-" The guard was cut off as someone shot a fireball at him. He ducked and it hit the wall. Chaos ensued as fire spilled across the courtyard. I thrust my hands down and fire streamed out. I was propelled up and I landed hard on the wall. I rolled a couple times before I stopped. I pushed myself up and ran toward the gondola.

"Hey! On the wall! Someone's escaping!" I looked over my shoulder and sawtwo guards running after me. One of them shot a fireball after me. I deflected it and turned to face them. I lifted my hands,bending the water around the prison. The guards halted as the water rose up behind me. I quickly cooled the water down before dropping the wave over the prison, putting out all the fires. I gritted my teeth and bent the water again, sweeping the two guards over the wall and down to the courtyard below. I turned back and contiued running to the gondola. I created a a ring of fire around me and shot several fireballs at the guards running toward me. Suddnely, my fire disappeared. I gasped and looked up. The moon was moving over the sun.

"The eclipse" I breathed. I smirked at the guards as they skidded to a stop. I bent another wave of water and the guards exchnaged a look before screaming and running. I twisted my hands and sent the wave over the prison. I continued running toward the gondola.

* * *

Sokka's POV

"So, Sokka's your name right?" Azula asked as we walked away from her. "My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time" I stopped and turned to face her. "She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you" I growled. Suki. I rushed at her. Toph pinned her to the wall. I watched as a small, ornate dagger fell to the ground. I grabbed her shoulder and pushed her against with wall.

"Where is Suki?!" I growled. Azula smirked.

"It's a shame" she murmured. "About your sister" I pushed her harder to the wall and felt very satisfied when she winced in pain.

"What did you do to Kimi?" I yelled. She simply smirked.

* * *

Zuko's POV

"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me. And then I'm going to the Boiling Rock and I'm freeing Kimi" I told Father.

"That's just beautiful" Father chuckled. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"Yes I am" I said quietly. "She's also my friend, my best friend, and I'm not going to let her rot in some prison. UNcle Iroh will help me"

"Ha. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure"

"You should also know, I've come to an even more important decision" I paused. "I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you" Father grinned slyly.

"Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?" he asked.

"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny" I sheathed my swords. "Goodbye" I turned and started walking to the doors.

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your Mother?" I stopped and turned around.

"What happened that night?" I demanded.

"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. Your Mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. Your Mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished" I felt a tear drip down my cheek.

"So she's alive" I murmured.

"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper" I felt something ignite and I knew the eclipse was over. Father stepped forward, swinging his arms out and creating two arcs of electricity from the tips of his fingers. He thrust his fingers forward and fired an incredible bolt of lightning at me. I flashed back to my time with Kimi and Uncle.

_"I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you" Uncle said._

_"What turmoil?" I demanded._

_"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away" I saw Kimi rub her side and I looekd back at Uncle. I was ashamed of hurting her._

But, not anymore. I caught the lightning with the tips of my fingers. I slid backwards from the force. I pulled my arms in as the electricity ran through my body.

_"You must not let the lightning pass through your heart" Uncle walked up to me and pointed his fingers at my chest. "Or the damage could be deadly"_

Then I thrust my other hand forward, redirecting the lightning in Father's direction. The explosion knocked Father against the wall. I turned and ran as the tapestry fell over him.

* * *

Kimi's POV

"Don't let her escape!" I growled when I heard the Warden. I yelped as I was tackled to the ground. I writhed beneath my attacker. A hand closed around my throat and I gasped. The person stood and pulled me up with them. I scratched at the hand holding me as I looked into the hardened eyes of the Warden. "No one has ever escaped this prison and I am not about to let you break that record" he snarled. I sneered at him and pulled up the water in the prison. I brought it up to surround him. He looked down, shocked, and then I quickly froze the water. The Warden released me in surprise and I dropped to the ground, reteching as I held my throat and took several deep breaths. I gave the Warden one last glance before turning on my heel and running. I looked up again and saw that the sun slowly being revealed by the moon. My muscles felt strained as I bent more of the boiling water. I sent it at the guards and breathed out. The water froze around the guards and I quickly moved around them. I looked up again and the eclipse was almost over. I swore as I slid to a stop. Both of the gondolas were on the other side along with two guards. I looked up at the cables that the gondolas ran across. I could feel the sweat pouring down my neck as I bent more water from the lake below. I cooled it again as it reached me. I twisted my arms around myself and created a water vortex. I used it to carry myself across the lake. I looked up again and swore as the the eclipse ended entirely. I pushed my hands out and the water from the vortex rocketed toward the two guards. They screamed as the water knocked them off the platform and down to the land below. I crashed down onto the platform, panting and exhausted. The two guards ran back up the hill. I pushed myself up and quickly shot two large flames at them. They deflected them and I bent a large wave of fire at them. I bent fire from my hands and feet, propelling myself over them and across the land. I ran down the hill as the two guards sent fireball after fireball at me. One connected with my back, sending me flying out and into the ocean surrounding the island. I felt my eyelids dropping closed. I forced myself to stay awake and bent the water to push me. I could myself getting weaker with each push.

* * *

Sokka's POV

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked as the war balloons flew over us.

"They're headed for the beach. They're going to destroy the submarines!" Aang exclaimed.

"How are we all going to escape?" I asked.

"We're not" Dad murmured. I turned to him.

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!" I said.

"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together" Dad told us.

"What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind" Katara cried.

"You're our only chance in a long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive" Dad said.

"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle" Bato ordered.

"I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by" Tyro grumbled.

"They're at the beach already!" Aang yelled. I watched horrified as the subs were destroyed.

* * *

Kimi's POV

"Come on" I muttered. "You can do it Kimi. Just a little further" I took another deep breath and pushed behind me. I felt myself nearly fly through the water. I smiled tiredly when I saw a strip of land ahead of me. My arms felt like lead weights as I dragged myself onto the grassy plain. I collapsed where I was as the exhausted finally took over. My vision grew darker and the last thing I saw was large balloon floating above me.

* * *

Zuko's POV

I made sure I was following the Avatar at a safe distance. They wouldn't notice me. I looked over the edge at the ocean below. I frowned when something strange moved in the water. It rocketed through the water to the land ahead. I waited until I was closer and pulled some of the fire from the balloon to lower it. As I got closer to the ground, I saw that the lump in the field was a person. I brought the balloon down and jumped out. I gasped when I knelt beside the figure.

"Kimi" I murmured. She was soaked through, but her ratty prisoner's clothes were burned. I looked out into the distance and could vaguely see the island that held the Boiling Rock. "How in Agni did you manage to escape?" I checked her pulse and sighed in relief. She was alive, but she looked so frail. I gently lifted her up and carried her over to the balloon. I carefully placed her on the floor and bent some fire into the small furnace. The balloon rose and I peered out to make sure I could still the Avatar's bison. I set the balloon on the course and then knelt down beside Kimi. "Don't worry. They'll help you" I brushed her wet hair off her face. "I'm sorry"


	5. The Western Air Temple

**The Western Air Temple**

Zuko's POV

I looked down at Kimi again. She hadn't woken up yet and I was really worried. I knew by now where the Avatar was going. The Western Air Temple. I took the balloon down to the ground below the temple and carried Kimi out. I gently set her on the ground and set up my small campsite. I heard a groan and turned. I immediately ran over to Kimi as she groaned again.

Kimi's POV

"Ooo. Oh. Ow. Ow. That really hurts" I muttered. I pushed myself up and looked around. My gaze landed on someone I thought I'd never see again. My eyes widened and I scrambled backwards, ignoring the pain in my back.

"Kimi, wait!" Zuko exclaimed. I stopped, hearing the deperation in his voice.

"Wha-what do you want with me?" I asked. His expression twisted and I saw pain in his eyes.

"Kimi-" His voice broke. He swallowed. "I..." He looked me over. "Um, there's a river down there" He pointed, not meeting my eyes. "I-If you wanna clean up" I looked down at myself and grimaced. I slowly stood, keeping my eyes on Zuko. I backed up until I could no longer see him and then continued to the river.

* * *

I stepped out of the river and used my waterbending to bend the water off of me. I used firebending to dry my tattered prisoner's clothes and slipped them back on. I looked back at where Zuko was and silently debated whether I should go back. I looked around. I had no idea where I was so it seemed like my safest bet was to stick with Zuko. I trudged back to where he was and paused when I heard him talking.

"Hello, Zuko here. But I guess you probably already know me... sort of" I peered through the foliage and saw that he wasn't talking to anyone. I frowned. "Uh...so, the thing is, I have a lot of firebending experience, and I'm considered to be pretty good at it. Well, you've seen me... you know, when I was attacking you?" His eyes widened and I realized what he was doing. He was practicing talking to my friends. "Uh, yeah...I guess I should apologize for that. But anyway, I'm good now" He clenched both fists at his sides. "I mean, I thought I was good before, but now I realize I was bad" He slumped. "Ugh, but anyway... I think it's time I joined your group, and taught the Avatar firebending" I bit my lip. He paused. "Well, what's your answer?!" He yelled, staring at a badger frog that was sitting on a log in front of him. The badger frog ribbitted and hopped away. Zuko hung his head dejectedly. "Yeah, that's what I'd say too. How am I supposed to convince these people I'm on their side? What would Uncle do?" I watched with amusement as he mimicked Iroh's voice and pretended to stroke a beard. "Zuko, you have to look within yourself, to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself" I stared at him. I usually understood Iroh and even I was confused. Zuko sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Even when I'm talking for him, I can't figure out what he means. What would Azula do?" I raised an eyebrow. Zuko now mimicked his sister's voice and I could practically hear evil music in the background. "Listen, Avatar, I can join your group or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends. Your choice" He stopped and sat down. "I guess I'm not that good at impersonations" I smiled softly. "Kimi" I flinched and looked up, but he wasn't looking at me. He was staring off into another part of the woods. "Kimi, I am so so sorry. I know I was wrong and that what I did was terrible. I betrayed you" His voice broke. "I betrayed you and Uncle and I have never felt more ashamed of myself" I held back tears as he spoke. "I wish I could go back and change what I did, but I can't. I wish I had spoken up when my father was deciding your punishment, but I didn't. I was afraid" He looked down at his lap. "I had already lost you and I didn't know what to do. I was wrong back then. You were right about everything and I should have listened and for that I can never be more sorry" He looked up now and I saw a tear slide down his cheek. "Please forgive me" I swallowed my own tears. He placed his head in his hands. "Stupid" he muttered. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She hates me, why would she forgive me?"

"She already has" I said quietly, stepping out. His head shot up and he stared at me with wide eyes.

"How much did you hear?" he demanded. I walked up to him and sat down.

"All of it" I told him. He swallowed thickly.

"Kimi-" I pressed a finger to his lips.

"You were misguided. You only wanted your father's love. People do crazy things for love" I murmured. He closed his eyes. I moved my hand down to my lap.

"Kimi" he started. He took a deep breath. "I hurt you. How can you-"

"Because I know how much it hurt you and I know how sorry you are. I know that you've changed" I told him. I smiled and placed my hand over his. "You saved me. I would've died if it wasn't for you" Zuko looked down.

"I promise Kimi, that I will never hurt you again" He looked up at me, his golden eyes meeting my mismatched ones. "I swear to you that I will never hurt you and that I will always be there for you" My lip trembled as he cupped my cheek. "I lied to you that day in Ba Sing Se" I bit my trembling lip. "When we kissed" He swallowed. "I did feel something. I was afraid that you didn't feel the same because I felt more than something..." He closed his eyes and waited. "I realized that I was in love with you"

"Good" I murmured. "Because I'm in love with you too" I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to his. He didn't respond at first, but then he moved his hands up to cup my face. He pulled away a moment later.

"How?" he asked hoarsely. "Why?"

"I never stopped" I murmured, then I reached up and pulled his face back down to mine.

* * *

I was still weak from my escape so Zuko carried me on his back as he hiked up to the Western Air Temple. I could see Appa as he landed in the Temple. Excitement filled me. After at least three months of separation, I would finally see them again.

"...the giant Pai Sho table" Aang was saying. "Oh, you're gonna love the all-day echo chamber" Zuko stepped out. Appa was blocking us from view.

"I think that'll have to wait" Toph said. Appa moved aside and they stared at us.

"Hello, Zuko here" They all moved into defensive postions. "Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so I just thought I'd wait for you here" Appa moved closer and growled. Zuko tensed. Appa then proceeded to lick both of us. I gagged and used my sleeve to wipe off the slobber. Zuko gently placed me on the ground, supporting me with an arm around my shoulders.

"Kimi" Sokka breathed. I smiled at him. I stumbled forward and ran to him. He opened his arms, dropping the black sword he'd been holding. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my shoulder. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as Katara walked over, her face pale, like she'd seen a ghost. She reached out and her hand brushed my face. Then her face spilt into a grin and she wrapped her arms around me as well. My shirt was soaked with their tears as I soaked Sokka's shirt.

"I missed you" I rasped once they released me. Sokka kept his hands on my shoulders as he looked me over.

"You look terrible" he murmured. I chuckled.

"Thanks Sokka. That's just what I wanted to hear when I finally see you after three months" Sokka laughed and hugged me again. Aang came over and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're back" he whispered. I rubbed his back.

"I missed you too little buddy" I mumbled. Toph moved closer and hesitated. Then she ran forward and wrapped her small arms around my waist. She backed up a moment later. She mumbled something that I didn't hear. Katara grabbed me again and she looked me over.

"You're way too skinny" she grumbled. "And you're shaking" She looked over my shoulder and glared at Zuko. "What did you do?" she demanded. Zuko's eyes widened and he raised his hands. I waved my hand at him.

"He saved me" I told them, backing up. I made my way back over to Zuko. Katara's eyes narrowed to slits. Sokka picked up his sword.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. I stumbled when I reached Zuko's side and he reached out to steady me.

"The eclipse" I started. I looked over at Sokka. "Suki was there. At the prison with me" Sokka's eyes widened. "She overheard some guards talking about the eclipse. We realized that I would be the only person who could bend during it because I'm also a waterbender. That's how I escaped. A few minutes before the eclipse started, a riot broke out. I used that as a distraction and made it up to the wall using my firebending. Then I ran. I fought my way through the guards and to the gondolas. I used waterbending to get across the lake and to the other side. Two guards were there. One of them shot me down and I landed in the water surrounding the island. I used more waterbending to move through the water" They were all staring at me now with wide eyes. "I was exhausted and hurt. I made it to land and collapsed. I thought I was going to die, but Zuko found me" Sokka looked between me and Zuko warily. Zuko decided to speak up.

"I know you must be surprised to see me here" he started. Sokka cut him off.

"Not really, since you've followed us all over the world" Zuko shuffled uncomfortably.

"Right... Well, uh... anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending... to you" he said, looking at Aang. Aang lowered his staff hesitantly. "See, I uh..."

"You want to what now?!" Toph exclaimed.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?" Katara demanded.

"Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang" Sokka added.

"I've done some good things" Zuko said. "Kimi just told you how I saved her" He looked over at Appa. "I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something" Appa licked Zuko again. I chuckled as he glared at me.

"Appa does seem to like him" Toph pointed out.

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it"

"Sokka, I was there, remember? I was traveling with them at that time" I interrupted. They ignored me and continued to glare at Zuko. He shook his head at me and I scowled, crossing my arms.

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past" he said quietly.

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka demanded.

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara asked.

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe" I gently placed m hand on his arm, encouraging him to continue. "And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you" My grip on his arm tightened.

"What assassin?" I hissed as Sokka and Toph's eyes widened.

"I'm gonna try to stop him" Zuko continued.

"Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?" Sokka asked, unsheathing his boomerang.

"Well, that's not his name, but..." Sokka interrupted him.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friend" he growled.

"He's not my friend!" Zuko yelled.

"That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up" I gasped. What?! Jeez, you miss a couple months and your friends nearly die on their messed up adventures.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" I looked up to see that Zuko was staring at Aang. "In the North Pole, you could have left me to die, but you didn't. YOu know I have good in me"

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us"

"Guys-" I started.

"You need to get out of here, now" Katara told him.

"I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore" Zuko said, frustrated. I stepped forward and grabbed his arm again. Sokka held his boomerang out, pointing it at Zuko.

"Either you leave, or we attack"

"If you won't accept me as a friend," Zuko shrugged off my arm and knelt. "Then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner" He held his arms out.

"Zuko!" I exclaimed.

"No, we won't!" Katara yelled. She bent water from her pouch and bent a small wave at Zuko, knocking him back into my legs. I stumbled and righted myself. "Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again...Well, we'd better not see you again!" Zuko looked back at me. I shook my head. I raised my head to look at them.

"Kimi" Sokka murmured.

"Sorry guys" I muttered. I grabbed Zuko's arm and dragged him with me.

"Kimi, please!" Sokka begged.

"Kimi, go with them" Zuko whispered.

"No, I'm staying with you. You need me more"

"No, I don't. I'll be fine" he said. I bit my lip. I looked back at my friends. Sokka looked terrified and Katara looked close to tears. I brought my gaze back to Zuko. I turned to Sokka and ran over. I embraced him and Katara quickly.

"I'll be back. I promise" I whispered. Then I broke away and ran after Zuko. He looked up surprised when he heard me.

"Kimi-"

"Sorry Zuko, but I'm not leaving you" I told him. He smiled and picked me up again, swinging me onto his back.

* * *

Zuko's POV

"Argh, I can't believe how stupid I am. I mean, what was I thinking?" I cradled my head in my hands. "Telling them I sent an assassin after them? Why didn't I just say Azula did that? They would've believed that. Stupid!" Kimi laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, it was stupid. It was extremely stupid of you to do it in the first place" I looked up at her. "However, that's over, you can't change it" She knelt down beside me. "But, you can stop it. If he shows up, we'll fight him" My eyes widened.

"Kimi, you can't" Her eyes flashed.

"And why not? They're my friends, I want to protect them!"

"Kimi, you're still weak. You need rest" I told her quietly. She opened her mouth and then closed it with a snap. She stared at me for several moments and I readied myself for her to yell at me. Finally, she sighed.

"You're right" she muttered. I blinked in surprise. She leaned back and sat on the log with me. "Just promise me that you won't give up. Aang needs you to be his teacher. And..." Her voice cracked. "I need you. I don't want to leave you, but I don't want to leave them again" I turned to face her and cupped her cheeks with my hands. I burhsed away the tears with my thumbs.

"Kimi, I would never make you choose" I whispered. She gave me a small smile.

"I know" she murmured. "I love you" She curled up in a ball, laying her head in my lap. I slowly ran a hand through her hair.

"I love you too" I whispered as her breathing evened out.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly as I heard rustling beyond my campsite.

"Who's there?" Kimi stirred beside me.

"What is it?" she mumbled. Another rustle. She shot up. I swept my arm in an arc, firebending. "Stay back!" Fire spilled from Kimi's fingertips as her eyes widened in fear. A rock pillar rose from the ground to block the fire.

"It's me!" Kimi gasped at Toph's voice. She immediately threw her arm out to pull the flames back, but it was too late. "Ow! You burned my feet!" Kimi scarmbled up, stumbling as she made her way over to the blind girl. I stood as well, hurrying over to her.

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake!" I yelled.

"Get away from me!" Toph shouted, throwing rocks back at us.

"Toph, please wait!" Kimi cried. Toph contiuned to crawl away, earthbending chunks of earth back at us. Kimi yelped as a chunk clipped her shoulder. She fell back and I jumped forward to catch her. Toph disappeared into the forest around us. Kimi sobbed. "Toph, I'm sorry!" She tried to stand, but she winced and fell back onto me. I rubbed her back comfortingly.

* * *

Kimi's POV

I bit my lip as Zuko swung on a vine toward the man. I watched horrified as I stood on the path leading up to the assassin giving me a perfect view of Zuko and my friends The assassin shot fire, using his mind! The beam of fire was redirected as Zuko collided with the man and the fire hit the ledge above the fountain. My friends dove away.

"Stop! I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!" Zuko yelled. He moved in front of the assassin, his spread wide to block him. I squeezed my hands into fists, my nails cutting into my palms. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop!" The assassin shoved Zuko out of the way and fired another blast at the fountain. My friends ducked behind a ledge. "If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" The assassin grabbed Zuko by his shirt. Zuko threw a fireball, but it missed and hit the ground. "All right, I'll pay you double to stop!" Zuko swung his arm down, making the assassin let go. He turned and kicked the assassin just as he fired again. The shot missed and hit the ceiling. I was shaking with fear as the assassin walked toward Zuko. He pulled his head back and fired a blast. I screamed as the blast hit Zuko.

"ZUKO!" I screamed. I started up the path and collapsed as my knees gave out. The smoke cleared. There was no sign of Zuko. I felt the tears streaming down my face as I wrapped my arms around myself. The assassin turned back to the temple and I struggled to stand. I stumbled up the path. Something whizzed me and I watched as Sokka's boomerang hit the assassin's head. The assassin stumbled, clutching his forehead. I yelped as I tripped and landed hard on the pebbled path. I pushed myself up, looking up as the assassin inhaled. He tried to fire another blast, but it backfired creating a massive explosion. I winced and ducked my head as debris flew past me. When rocks stopped falling around me, I looked up and nearly cried in relief when I saw Zuko climbing up a vine on the cliff. He pulled himself onto the cliff and ran down the path toward me. I stood shakily and he swept me into a hug.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded mutely. He held me out and looked me over. Finally, he seemed satisfied. He hugged me again. I looked up at his pale face and kissed his cheek. He pulled away and we started walking up to the temple. My friends were waiting for us when we finally reached them.

"I can't believe I'm saying this... but thanks Zuko" Aang said.

"Hey, and what about me? I did the boomerang thing" Sokka interrupted. I sat against a stone pillar watching the exchange.

"Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world" I grinned at him as he looked over his shoulder at me. He smiled and turned back to them. He looked over at Toph. "I'm sorry for what I did to you" He bowed to Toph. "It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally" I bit my lip. I would wait until everyone was settled before talking to Toph.

"I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara and Kimi. And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love" He bowed to Zuko. "I'd like you to teach me" Zuko bowed as well.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group"

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's ok with them. Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?" Aang asked, turning to the earthbender.

"Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet" I smiled softly. Good 'ol Toph.

"Sokka?" Sokka looked over at me and then at Zuko. He sighed, closing his eyes. Finally he shrugged.

"Hey, all I want is to defeat The Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it" Aang nodded and then turned to Katara.

"Katara?" Katara also looked over at me and then Zuko. She frowned before looking over at Aang.

"I'll go along with whatever you think is right" she muttered. Aang smiled brightly.

"I won't let you down, I promise" Zuko said excitedly. I stood and walked up behind him. Sokka's expression brightened.

"Kimi" he murmured. I smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm staying" I told him quietly. Zuko nudged me forward and I started toward my brother. He ran forward and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Good" he whispered. He released me slowly and turned to Toph. I rushed forward and knelt beside her.

"I am so so sorry" I mumbled as I hugged her. She brushed me off.

"Don't worry Hot Head" she murmured as Sokka picked her up. I nodded and Katara pulled me to my feet. She hugged me tightly. She didn't pull away for several minutes. Finally, she stepped back and followed Aang out. I turned to Zuko. He quickly joined me and we slowly followed the Gaang.

* * *

Zuko's POV

It was Sokka who showed me to my room.

"So here you go, home sweet home. I guess, you know, for now. Unpack... lunch soon. Uh...welcome aboard?" I noticed that he looked really uncomfortable so I smiled, hoping to calm him. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah" he mumbled. He turned and walked away. "Ok, this is really, really weird" I heard him say. He and Aang walked past my door and I sighed. I thought back to my last visit to the Western Air Temple.

"_If I have to, I will spend every day of the rest of my life hunting the Avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him" I said, staring out into the distance. Uncle placed a hand on my shoulder._

_"You know, Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday"_

I smiled and nodded. Uncle was right. Destiny did have a funny way of working out, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I sensed someone behind me and turned. Katara was leaning against the door frame. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off.

"You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation'. But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past" She stalked up to me, glaring as she leaned toward me. "So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang or Kimi... and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there... permanently" She turned and left. I swallowed. I knew that she would gladly follow through with that threat. I sat on my bed and sighed as I laid back. Someone cleared their throat. I looked up. Kimi was standing in the doorway. Her hair was wet and braided over her shoulder. She was wearing a set of her sister's clothes that were a little too small for her, but she didn't care.

"Can I come in?" she asked. I nodded. She slowly walked in and sat beside me. She laid back and curled up on her side so she was facing me. I turned onto my side and propped my head up on my elbow. She smiled softly. "It feels good to be back with them"

"I'm glad you're happy" I murmured, reaching over with my other hand to brush a stray strand of hair away. I gently ran a knuckle down her cheek. I leaned in as she moved closer to me. I paused before my lips met hers, not wanting to move to fast. She leaned up and her lips crashed into mine. The kiss was rough and passionate, filled with every emotion that I could push into it. After a minute, I realized I needed to breathe, but I didn't want to stop. I reluctantly pulled away. Her face was flushed and she stared up at me with her blue and gold eyes. Her beautiful, mesmerizing eyes. I laid back down, pulling her close to me. She snuggled closer to me and sighed happily. I smiled as she hummed a song and tapped her fingers my chest. I wanted this moment to last forever, for us to never leave each other's arms. I realized that I had found the girl-no the woman, I loved. And I was never letting her go.


End file.
